Differences in morphology of temporomandibular joint ankylosis of traumatic and infective origin

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Differences in morphology of temporomandibular joint ankylosis of traumatic and infective origin via International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery via MedWorm.com The aim of this study was to determine whether there are any differences in morphology between temporomandibular joint ankylosis (TMJA) of traumatic and infective origin. Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans of 25 patients (28 joints) with TMJA of traumatic origin (trauma group) and 15 patients (15 joints) with TMJA of infectious origin (infection group) were included. The following morphological parameters were evaluated on multiple sections of the CBCT scans: lateral juxta-articular bone growth, residual condyle, residual glenoid fossa, ramus thickening, ankylotic mass fusion line, sclerosis of the ankylosed condyle and spongiosa of the glenoid fossa, and mastoid and glenoid fossa air cell obliteration. (Source: International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery) View on Web

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A new glutamine synthetase index to evaluate hepatic lobular restoration in advanced fibrosis during anti‐HBV therapy

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader A new glutamine synthetase index to evaluate hepatic lobular restoration in advanced fibrosis during anti‐HBV therapy via Journal of Medical Virology Abstract Hepatic lobular architecture distortion is a deleterious turning point and a crucial histological feature of advanced liver fibrosis in chronic liver diseases. Regression of fibrosis has been documented in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. However, whether lobular architecture could be restored following fibrosis regression after antiviral therapy is still unclear. Glutamine synthetase (GS) is generally expressed by perivenular hepatocytes around hepatic veins (HV). In this study, we defined abnormal lobular architecture (GSPT) as GS expressing in the vicinity of portal tracts (PT), which denotes parenchymal extinction and lobular collapse. We defined normal lobular architecture (GSHV) as GS positivity area not approximating PTs. Therefore, we propose a new GS-index, defined as the percentage of GSHV/(GSHV+GSPT), to evaluate the extent of architectural disruption and restoration. We evaluated 43 CHB patients with advanced fi brosis (Ishak stage ≥ 4). Post-treatment liver biopsy was performed after 78 weeks of anti-HBV therapy. The median GS-index improved from 7% (IQR: 0%-23%) at baseline to 36% (IQR: 20%-57%) at week 78 (P < 0.001). Totals of 22 patients (51%) had significant GS-index improvement from 0% (IQR: 0%-13%) to 55% (IQR: 44%-81%), while the other half had almost no change between 17% (IQR: 0%-33%) to 20% (IQR: 12%-31%). When GS-index78w ≥ 50% was used to define hepatic lobular restoration, 37% of patients (16/43) achieved lobular restoration, with much improvement in ALT and AST levels (median value of ∆/Baseline in ALT: restored vs. non-restored was 79.1% vs. 48.8%, P = 0.018; median value of ∆/Baseline in AST: restored vs. non-restored was 69.1% vs. 32.5%, P = 0.005). More importantly, lobular restoration correlated with fibrosis regression (median value of ∆/Baseline in Ishak stage: restored vs. non-restored was 25.0% vs. 0%, P = 0.008). Therefore, in the era of antiviral therapy for CHB, restoration of hepatic lobular architecture is achievable in patients with advanced fibrosis. GS-index provides additional insight into fibrosis regression that goes beyond collagen degradation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. View on Web

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The relationship between childhood leukaemia and childhood asthma: A pharmacoepidemiological study from the Netherlands

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader The relationship between childhood leukaemia and childhood asthma: A pharmacoepidemiological study from the Netherlands via Pediatric Blood & Cancer Abstract Background It has been suggested that childhood asthma lowers the risk of childhood leukaemia. Studies have found an inverse association between these conditions. However, most studies on this relationship are based on questionnaires and telephone interviews, introducing recall bias. Therefore, we conducted a matched case–control study based on drug prescription data to assess the relationship between both conditions. Methods In a large database, covering more than one million individuals, we identified cases of children who had been prescribed 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP). This drug is used in the outpatient maintenance therapy of childhood leukaemia. We matched every child with leukaemia on sex and age (±6 months) to children without leukaemia (controls). The variable of having had asthma was defined as receiving at least two prescriptions for an inhaled corticosteroid within 12 months. Results We identified 59 children aged 2–18 who had been prescribed 6-MP (cases), and they were matched to 21,918 controls. Of the children with childhood leukaemia, three (5%) had childhood asthma, whereas in the control group 4889 (22%) had childhood asthma (odds ratio [OR] 0.19; 95% confidence interval 0.06–0.60). Conclusion In this study on the relationship between childhood asthma and childhood leukaemia, we found a strong inverse association. View on Web

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Equivocal end‐of‐therapy imaging findings do not predict a higher risk of local relapse after definitive radiotherapy in pediatric Ewing sarcoma and rhabdomyosarcoma

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Equivocal end‐of‐therapy imaging findings do not predict a higher risk of local relapse after definitive radiotherapy in pediatric Ewing sarcoma and rhabdomyosarcoma via Pediatric Blood & Cancer Abstract Background Posttherapy imaging studies can provide reassurance or induce anxiety regarding risk of recurrence for patients and their families. In some cases, it is difficult to determine if imaging findings represent posttreatment changes or residual disease. Equivocal radiographic findings can occur due to therapy-related inflammation or residual, inactive soft tissue masses, but it is unknown if such findings indicate an increased likelihood of local recurrence. The aim of this study was to assess the value of initial posttherapy scans for predicting local relapse in patients with Ewing sarcoma (EWS) or rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) who received radiotherapy (RT) for local control. These findings are critical to inform clinicians' surveillance recommendations and ability to accurately counsel patients and their families. Procedure The primary endpoint was time to local progression (LP). Patients were classified as having posttherapy scans that were "positive" (residual disease within the RT field), "negative" (no evidence of residual disease within the RT field), or "equivocal" (no determination could be made). The value of initial posttreatment scans for predicting LP was assessed using positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV). Results Negative imaging findings (n = 51) had an NPV of 88%, and positive imaging findings (n = 1) had a PPV of 100%. When equivocal findings (n = 16) were categorized with negative results (i.e., positive vs. equivocal/negative), the NPV was 90%. When equivocal findings were categorized with positive results (equivocal/positive vs. negative), the PPV was 12%. Conclusion Equivocal findings within the RT field on end-of-therapy imaging studies indicate no higher risk of local recurrence than negative findings. These results may contribute to appropriate surveillance schedules and accurate counseling of patients with RMS and EWS who have received RT for local control. View on Web

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Intracapsular Dissection Approaches (Enucleation) in Surgical Resection of Carotid Body Tumors

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Intracapsular Dissection Approaches (Enucleation) in Surgical Resection of Carotid Body Tumors via The Laryngoscope Intracapsular dissection approaches in surgical resection of carotid body tumors. Laryngoscope, 2023 View on Web

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Masseter muscle cross‐sectional area and late implant failure: A case–control study

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Masseter muscle cross‐sectional area and late implant failure: A case–control study via Clinical Implant Dentistry and Related Research Abstract Introduction Occlusal overload is considered to be one of the causes of late implant failure. However, it is unclear whether the magnitude of the patient's occlusal force is a risk factor for late implant failure. Purpose This case–control study aimed to clarify the association between the cross-sectional area (CSA) of the masseter muscle and late implant failure. Methods This case–control study was limited to implant-supported fixed prostheses. We compared cases with at least one late implant failure (n = 25 patients) to controls (n = 82 patients) without implant failure. Patients were matched by age, sex, year of surgery, jaw and tooth type, and bone graft. Log-rank and Cox proportional hazard regression analyses were used to identify possible risk factors for late implant failure. Results The incidence of late implant failure was significantly associated with masseter muscle CSA ≥504.5 mm2 (hazard ratio: 4.43; 95% CI: 1.82–10.79; p < 0.01). Conclusion Higher masseter muscle CSA increases the risk of late implant failure. View on Web

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Lip Squamous Cell Carcinoma With Spontaneous Eruption and Drainage

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Lip Squamous Cell Carcinoma With Spontaneous Eruption and Drainage via JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery Online First A 69-year-old woman with a newly diagnosed squamous cell carci noma of the lower lip mucosa presented 3 days after initiating neoadjuvant immune checkpoint blockade immunotherapy with redness and swelling of the tumor site. What is your diagnosis? View on Web

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Emerging Omicron subvariants evade neutralizing immunity elicited by vaccine or BA.1/BA.2 infection

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Emerging Omicron subvariants evade neutralizing immunity elicited by vaccine or BA.1/BA.2 infection via Journal of Medical Virology Abstract The newly emerging severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron BA.2.75 and BA.2.76 subvariants contained 35 and 29 additional mutations in its spike (S) protein compared to the reference SARS-CoV-2 genome, respectively. Here, we measured the evasion degree of the BA.1, BA.2, BA.4, BA.5, BA.2.75, and BA.2.76 subvariants from neutralizing immunity in people previously infected with the Omicron BA.1 and BA.2, determined the effect of vaccination on immune evasion, and compared the titers of neutralizing antibodies in serums between acute infection and convalescence. Results showed that the neutralization effect of serums from patients with different vaccination statuses and BA.1/BA.2 breakthrough infection decreased with the Omicron evolution from BA.1 to BA.2, BA.4, BA.5, BA.2.75, and BA.2.76. This study also indicated that the existing vaccines could no longer provide effective protection, especially for the emerging BA.2.75 and BA.2.76 subvariants. Therefo re, vaccines against emerging epidemic strains should be designed specifically. In the future, we can not only focus on the current strains, but also predict and design new vaccines against potential mutant strains. At the same time, we can combine the virus strains' infection characteristics to develop protective measures for virus colonization areas, such as nasal protection spray. Besides, further studies on the Y248N mutation of BA.2.76 subvariant were also necessary to explore its contribution to the enhanced immune evasion ability. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. View on Web

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Severe Mpox Infections in People with Uncontrolled Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Severe Mpox Infections in People with Uncontrolled Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) via Clinical Infectious Diseases Advance Access Abstract In the current mpox outbreak, infections are usually self-limited. We describe three patients with uncontrolled HIV and mpox infections lasting months, causing debilitating lesions, complications, and death, despite initiating anti-mpox and antiretroviral therapy. Delayed treatment of mpox with antiviral agents may contribute to poor outcomes in severely immunocompromised patients. View on Web

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A lifestyle pattern characterized by high consumption of sweet and salty snacks, sugar sweetened beverages and sedentary time is associated with blood pressure in families at risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus in Europe. The Feel4Diabetes Study.

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader A lifestyle pattern characterized by high consumption of sweet and salty snacks, sugar sweetened beverages and sedentary time is associated with blood pressure in families at risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus in Europe. The Feel4Diabetes Study. via Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics Abstract Objective Individuals from families at high-risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are also in high risk for hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Studies identifying lifestyle patterns combining dietary, physical activity or sedentary variables and examining their possible role to developing blood pressure (BP) are limited. This study aimed to examine the association of different lifestyle patterns (LPs) with BP levels in families at high risk for T2DM in Europe. Research Methods & Procedures 1844 adults (31.6% males) at high-risk for T2DM across 6 European countries were included in this cross-sectional study using data from the baseline assessment of the Feel4Diabetes Study. BP measurements, dietary and physical activity assessments were conducted, and screen times was surveyed. Lifestyle patterns were revealed with Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of various data regarding diet, physical activity, screen time and smoking. Results 3 LPs were identified, LP3 (high consumption of sweet & salty snacks, sugar sweetened soft drinks and juices and high amount of screen time) was positively associated with diastolic BP [B, 0.52 95%CI (0.05-0.99)] and existence of hypertension [OR,1.12 95%CI (1.00-1.25)]. Participants in the highest tertile of LP3 spent mean 3 hours of screen time, consumed 1.5 portions of sweet and/or salty snacks and 1 liter of soft drinks on a daily basis, were associated with 12% higher risk of hypertension. Conclusion Focusing on the combination of eating and lifestyle behaviors may more accurately identify, and therefore guide preventive measures tailored to the specific needs of high-risk populations. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. View on Web

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Functional consequence and therapeutic targeting of cryptic ALK fusions in monosomy 7 acute myeloid leukemia

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Functional consequence and therapeutic targeting of cryptic ALK fusions in monosomy 7 acute myeloid leukemia via Pediatric Blood & Cancer Abstract Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients have a wide array of cytogenetic and molecular aberrations, which can influence response to therapy. Monosomy 7 is a rare subset within pediatric AML (prevalence of <2%) that is highly associated with poor outcomes. Fusions involving the anaplastic tyrosine kinase (ALK) gene were exclusively identified in 14.3% of this high-risk cohort, while absent across all other AML. Given the dismal outcomes of monosomy 7, we evaluated the use of crizotinib, an FDA-approved tyrosine kinase inhibitor, used to treat patients with ALK fusions. Our findings suggest that crizotinib may serve as a novel therapy for these patients. View on Web

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